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Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said the police believed it was amphetamine “due to the distinctive smell” it was giving off and later analysis revealed it was.

Miss Allen said: “It had a wet weight of 7.468g and a dried weight, for selling at just under 5kg.”

And although no monetary value for the drug was given in court, the website Drugwise said it would be worth £2,500 on the street if the amphetamine was sold in £5 per gram deals, reports the Derby Telegraph.

Miss Allen said Dawson, 55, gave a false address to police when he was asked who he was and he also answered “no comment“ to every question he was asked during an interview following his arrest.

She said: “His antecedent history shows he has 13 previous convictions for 30 offences dating back to 1997 when he was first jailed for possession with intent to supply amphetamine, cocaine and cannabis.

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“He was jailed at Stafford Crown Court in 2009 for possession with intent to supply amphetamine and in December 2010, at Preston Crown Court, he was again jailed for conspiracy to supply amphetamine.”

Jailing Dawson for four years, recorder Roger Evans said: “There is no satisfactory evidence of the value of the drugs you were found to be in possession of but it is obviously substantial.

“You are a professional courier and by that I mean this. It was your car that was stopped and that vehicle was specially adapted with a secret compartment in it which is where the amphetamine was revered from.

“You have received lengthy prison sentences in the past for exactly the same offences.

“You knew the risks.”

Miss Allen said Dawson was stopped at 11am on August 21 in Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield.

She said: “The defendant was the sole occupier and officers carried out a careful search of the vehicle where they came across a hidden compartment in the boot.

“It was a 15cm deep metal tin and in it was found a bag containing 7468.37g of wet amphetamine.

“When dried out it weighed 4951.53g, so just under 5kg.

“Having recovered the drugs the defendant was arrested and when he was asked what his address was he gave a false one.”

But Dawson was charged and later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply the class B drug.

Sarah Monro, for Dawson, said: “This is a single incident on a single day and he was the courier.

“There is no excuse for what he did and he recognises the devastating impact this will have on his partner of 20 years who has stuck by him.”